1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and process for the collection of subsurface water and/or soil gas samples and transporting those samples to a surface for analysis and study. In particular, the present invention relates to a novel apparatus for collecting simultaneous samples from multiple locations within a single bore hole. The U.S. Government has rights on this invention pursuant to contract number DE-AC09-89SR18035 between the U.S. Department of Energy and Westinghouse Savannah River Company.
2. Discussion of Background
Soil and groundwater contamination are ranked among the most serious pollution problems of the industrialized nations. It is estimated that over 15% of community drinking water supplies in the U.S. are contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons.
A number of methods are available for treating contaminated soil and groundwater. However, any such treatment method requires monitoring and sampling of gas and/or water samples from the subsurface. Currently, sampling techniques are a very labor intensive activity. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the arts directed towards an improved apparatus and process for the collection of subsurface fluid samples.